The Bonds of Love
by RiliaJames
Summary: "There are certain things you can't always explain. The reason why people live or die. Why the bonds of love and friendship are stronger than evil. This is the story of a girl who's life was forever changed by four guys she never expected to meet. This is what happened." Take a look at the new events recorded in the Book of Damnation. Come on in, you know you want to.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

MY NAME IS KATIA JINERS.

Weird name, huh? Well, anyway, this is my life. I moved to the crappy state of Ohio, in the small city district of Chillicothe. I used to live in Reynoldsburg. I was born October 1st, 1997. I am 15 years old. I have dark brown hair and eyes with the mix of Mexican and Asian for my skin. And, no, I can't speak Spanish or Chinese, or any type of language. I speak the native language: ENGLISH! (I'm not British either, though it'd be kimda cool. Lol)

I've been at school since the beginning of January after everybody got back from winter break. I've made a couple of friends, but not very many since I'm super-duper shy. I barely talk to people unless I'm forced to, or if I'm bored. Oh, and I'm also hearing-impaired, meaning I have to wear hearing aids.

But I'm just like everyone else, even though I cover my ears with my very long hair. I like to read, draw, sing, and act. OK,enough with the boring introduction. I was sitting in my assigned seat in homeroom (which is first period everyday, for two hours) when Mrs. Irvin announced that there were some new students here. I looked up from being engrossed in my drawing of Evanescence's Amy Lee, (for a school project and I was trying to get it done), and watched as four teenage/college looking guys walked through the doors and stood in front of the class.

"Class, this is our new transfer students from Ispwich, Massachuets (I can't spell it,ok?)," she said. "These are..."

"Caleb Danvers."

"Pogue Parry."

"Reid Garwin."

"Tyler Simms."

Thier names sounded familiar, but I place my finger on it. I returned to my drawing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the new kids take thier seats in the front row, in a square.

After 5 minutes, after attendence, Mrs. Irvin announced," Alright. Acting scene! Today is all about improvising! So... who has not gone?"

The class groaned. Silently, I prayed to myself, Not me. don't pick me. Mrs. Irvin made up a thing that allowed us to move, and talk during study hall, since people complained it was boring and quiet. Basically, all you had to do was act until class was over. I never done it before, but it seemed like a fun experience. The problem was, I was too shy.

"So... will...Katia Jiners-" I face-palmed myself. "Annnnddddd... hmmm... new kid, Reid Garwin come up here?" I took a deep breath, then walked to the front of the room, ignoring the whispers and stares and giggles. Reid was hesitating until one of his friends-Caleb, I guess- poked him and hissed, "Go up there, idiot!" We faced each other.

Dang it, why'd he have to be tall? I had to look up at him, since I was short, about I dunno, and he was about 6'1'' or something like that.

Reid had blue eyes, blond hair,a hansome face and was wearing fingerless black gloves and a beanie on his head, complete with black long-sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans, with a chain-like belt(which I'm pretty sure are against the school clothes policy.) He looked like a troublemaker, what with that growing smirk on his face. I cleared my throat.

"Ok, guys. Improvise!"Mrs. Irvin said.

I tried really hard not to blush, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't succeeding. I tried thinking. Then I got an idea. I grabbed Reid, and led him out into the hallway. He stared at me.

"Improvise,remember?" I told him. I poured all my anger and rage inside me. Then I slammed the door open and stormed inside.

"YOU IDIOT!" I screamed. People looked shocked. I moved angrily around the desks, before plopping myself into my desk. Reid, who had followed me, stood by me, arms crossed over his chest. I fiercily started scribbling in my sketchpad on a black page, doing quick sketches.

"Katia..."

"How could you do that to me?!" I demanded, without looking up. Nothing. "You know what? Screw this," I shouted, shoving my stuff from my desk to the floor. I sighed, then bent down to pick them up. Reid, knelt down and helped me. I snatched my things from his hands, stood up and collected my stuff, walking to the door. But Reid blocked my way.

"Get out of my way," I growled.

"No," he replied. "We need to talk."

"Not now,"I said, trying to scoot around him. We were standing in front of the front row. Everyone had thier eyes on us. I guess, waiting what the freak would do. "I'm going to be late!" I protested. He sighed. Then he pushed me into a desk.

"Sit your a** down, I'm trying to talk to you, Katia!" I looked up at him in real disbelief. Just go with it, Katia.

"Look, Katia, I'm sorry for whatever I did to you. But I don't regret it. Look I guess what I'm trying to say is...I-"

"You don't care about me!"I shouted back. "No one does! I'm a f-ing freak! Everybody hates me!" Real tears ran down my cheeks. I was literally saying what was on my mind. "And-and-" I broke down, sobbing. Reid embraced me carefully. Crap, I didn't mean for this to happen.

"It's okay, Katia. You'll wake up soon. This is all just a dream." I looked up at him, sniffling.

SCENE CHANGE-THE (FAKE) BED-ROOM (I put three desks together, and laid on top of them for my bed, using my stupid sparkly pink sweater as my blanket). I opened my eyes (saw everyone watching me). I sat up, realizing this was all a dream. Then all of a sudden, a girl said,"Freak!" then pushed me over the desks.

That was not the plan. I knocked my head into the wall, and closed my eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

I opened my eyes. I saw Reid kneeling in front of me, lips moving. I couldn't catch what he was saying. I heard a buzzing sound, then realized my hearing aids were squealing. I reached up, turned the volume down, and the words reached my ears.

"Are you okay?" he was asking. I nodded. I gave him this look that said 'Improvise!' He nodded really quick, then helped me up. I saw no sign of the girl who pushed me. He gave me a weird look once he saw a glimpse of my hearing aid, then composed himself.

"Let me guess. I'm in Dream-works Disney World," I said.

"Pretty much,"he replied. I cursed myself. "Why do I always fall asleep in class?"

He raised his hands up in surrender. "Hey, that's not my fault," he said. I rolled my eyes. He smirked. I paced back and forth.

"So... why are you here?"

"I'm here to help keep your dreams controlled." Oh, like that explained everything. I scoffed. He turned to his friends. They got up, and walked to us. Reid turned around.

"We help control your dreams," the tallest boy said, the one who must be Caleb. He had dark brown hair,dark brown eyes, light skin, and a muscular build.

"Oh, so what, you're the Dream Police?" I snorted.

"Yes," the boy with the shoulder-lengthed light brown hair answered. He looked to be the same height as Caleb, and Reid. He wore motorcyle-like clothes. A black leather jacket and ripped jeans.

"Ohh. Well...in that case...Oh! Look, there's a llama! Go check it out!" I retorted, pointing across the room.

Caleb snapped his fingers. "Pogue. Reid. Come with me. Tyler, stay here."

I watched as they walked across the room. I turned to Tyler. He was obviously the youngest of the group maybe about a year younger or so. He was the same height as the others, only with boyish features. He had light/dark brown hair, with light blue eyes. He had a more lighter skin tone than Reid and Caleb. He cleared his throat. We sat down on the floor. Awkward. In a few minutes, the others come and sit by Tyler facing me. I sit criss-crossed, hands in my lap.

"Did ya find anything?"I asked.

"Nope. Not unless you count the llama that stole my donut," Reid said.

"So...tell us about you," Caleb interrupted gently after smacking Reid's head.

"Well... I'm Katia. I'm 15. I'm a freshman. I moved here 4 weeks ago, and I'm still new here so... I'm adopted. I don't speak Spanish, by the way, just to clarify that. I like to draw... read... sing... act..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. "Any questions for me?"

"Why do you look so sad?" A voice spoke for the first time. I looked up towards the voice. Tyler stared at me, waiting for an answer. I was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You just look sad. Like... you've seen something terrible," he mumbled shyly.

I frowned. "I don't know," I told him. "I guess it's because the way people view me. I'm... kinda deaf. Anddd...I don't know. Trust me. If people saw the real me, they'd run in the other direction, screaming. I'm a freak. I'll always be a freak. That's how life is."

They looked at me with... pity? Sympathy? I couldn't tell. The bell rang, startling us. We got to our feet, and collected our stuff, heading our separate ways. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew them from somewhere.

I met up with my friends, Bree and Rebecca at lunch in the Commons, which is inside the school. Bree, who is a natural redhead, twinkled her green eyes and said, " We got some new hot boys!"

"I heard from where those boys are from, they're called the 'Sons' for some weird reason. I don't really get it," Rebecca spoke quietly while eating her sandwich. She has shoulder-lengthed light brown hair, and light blue eyes. From our little bench against the wall, we watched the "Sons" sitting at a empty table, eating thier lunch. Pogue got up, cell phone in his hand, pressed up against his ear, began walking to the men's restroom.

As he walked past us, I heard him say," Hey, Kate... Yes,baby. I missed you too...How's Sarah? Ok, I'll tell Caleb... Tell her that he misses and loves her and..."

Bree pouted. "Dang! All the good guys are taken."

"What about that guy?" Rebecca asked, pointing at Caleb.

"That's Caleb. I think he's Sarah's boyfriend." I tried explaining, even though I wasn't sure if this "Sarah" was his girlfriend or not. We watched as Caleb got up, walking to Pogue, leaving only Tyler and Reid. Reid looked like to be hitting on every girl there was inside the school.

He flashed them a smile. Twinkled his blue eyes at them... Ugh... Tyler, on the other hand, was quietly eating his food, then he decided to throw a open bag of Cheetos at Reid. Reid caught the bag mid-air, exclaiming, "Thanks, Baby-Boy!"

Rebecca crinkled her nose. "Ugh. Why'd he call him, 'Baby-Boy'?"

"He's the youngest," I replied. Tyler just shook his head, threw his lunch away, waved to me, then sat down. The others returned to thier seats. They looked to be a important discussion, occansicanly glancing over from time to time towards me. Ok, that was only Reid and Tyler...but still...

Finally...I realized where I've seen them before. No freaking way! No wonder... Wow... The Sons in our very own school. I was so lost in thought that I didn't see Tyler come up to us. I snapped back to reality.

"Hey, Katia...do you and your friends want to sit with us?" Rebecca poked my shoulder. I nodded. "We would love to."

Over the next couple of days, we sat with the boys, learning more about them. Everyone's parents knew each other, so the boys practically grew up with each other like they were brothers. Rebecca moved which made me more sadder (we keep in contact each day). The only people that would talk to me were the "Sons" and Bree.

And for that, I was grateful.

Reid flirted with me (I think, even though I couldn't tell if he was or wasn't), Caleb was teaching me more about self-defense, since he said, and I quote, "You need to, for someone your size. People'll take advantage of it ", I wasn't really getting the hang of it. Pogue let me ride with him on his motorcycle, Tyler let me help him draw so he wouldn't fail art. One day, they were held up by Mr. Stevens who demanded that they help him with something, so Caleb told me to go ahead and eat my lunch, and not wait for them. Bree was in the lunch line. I felt a tap on my shoulder and found the Popular clique standing before me. Crap. Not now.

"So, how are you doin', Katie?" Melissa asked sitting down next to me.

"Katia," I corrected. She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Look... are you on drugs?"

"What?"

"'Cause... if you are, you seriously need help."

"What are you talking about?"

"We saw you last night. In the bathroom, " Emily said. Seriously? What the heck were they talking about?

"Don't deny it."

"Okay...look," I started, standing up. "I don't what you're talking about and-" I screamed as a bucketful of warm water poured all over me.

I felt it pour down my face, dripping. Melissa, and the Pops stared at me horrifed.

"What the f*** is up with your face?!" she screamed, as they backed away from me. I

stared at them. I heard footsteps and I saw Caleb, Reid, Pogue, and Tyler. They froze when they saw me. Bree pushed through the crowd that was surrounding us. I looked around at each of them, giving them a glimpse of my face. I knew what they were seeing, the horrible remains of the three-degree burns that were on the right side of my face. There was no skin only muscle. No eyelid, eyebrow, cheek... nothing. My eye had barely a socket to hold it up. Basically, I looked like that one guy from The Dark Knight movie, who got burned in the face from the building explosion after Batman saved him. I felt tears filling up my eye-the side that wasn't burned, then turned and ran to the bathroom.

Bree came in immediately after me. I covered the right side with my hand so she wouldn't have to see it.

"Just ignore them," she said. I noticed she was holding my bag in one hand.

"Was that makeup?" she asked. I nodded, wiping my tears away. Lots and lots and lots of makeup. She reached into my bag, and pulled out my makeup.

"If you don't want to be friends anymore..." I croaked out. "I'll understand."

She gave me a small smile and said she'd seen worse. I knew I could count on her. She started putting makeup on me carefully. I told her she shouldn't have to do it but she insisted. Within a couple of minutes, my face looked normal. She did a great job, for a first timer.

As she put my stuff away, she spoke," How'd that happen?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," I said softly, closing my eyes, banishing the terrible memory for now. I stood up. No matter what anybody thought of me, I was going to be myself. For the first time in my life.

"Sorry, Bree," I apologized, before wiping away her work. I stared at the girl in the mirror. Who was this girl? I smiled at my reflection. "She's me," I whispered aloud.

I turned and with my head held high, walked out of the restroom, showing my new accepted self.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

The next few weeks were really hard for me, add my face to my hearing aids, I was now the weird freak in school. People stared at my face, even took pictures of it. I tried not to show them they were getting to me. Why was I so weak? A few days eariler, Bree had to transfer to our other high school. She talked/texted me every chance she got, telling me that I was my own person, and not to let anybody bring me down, and to let the boys help me. Caleb, Reid, Pogue, and Tyler were the only ones who would talk to me besides the teachers. Reid got into a lot of trouble because he kept punching people in the face every time they talked trash about me. On a Tuesday, I was talking to them at lunch when I hear a commotion. Girls were laughing and squealing. I rolled my eyes.

"Looks like we have a new student," Caleb mumbled, glancing at someone.

I heard someone walking behind me, then lean against our table.

"Hey, Katia," a voice said. I knew that voice. Oh, crap. Not him. I looked up, seeing Jakson Greens standing there, arms crossed over his chest, smiling at me. He was a popular guy and also the star quarterback of the school. Apparently, he moved but I guess he's back now. He had short blond hair and green eyes.

I forced a smile. "Hi, Jakson..."

He glanced at Caleb, Reid, Pogue and Tyler, and wrinkled his nose a little like he couldn't believe they were sitting with me. He stared at my face for a really long time. He introduced himself to them, and vise versa. Jakson leaned towards me, said," Are you going to go to the party? At Summer's?" I forced another smile.

"Sure."

He smiled again, then kissed my forehead. I heard 'ew-s' and groans. He said bye and left.

I turned back to the boys who were looking at me.

"We met at a party one time," I explained. "But he's not my boyfriend."

They "oh-ed" and nodded. I resumed helping Tyler with his work, pointing out the things he needed to shade or darken. He was a great drawer;he drew people very realisticaly. He just need help with the shading and stuff like that. Next week, you had to draw somebody that you knew.

I asked if I could draw them, they said, "Yes." I was happy. I still had no clue who Tyler was going to draw though. Friday passed, and Monday came. I turned in my drawing of The Sons. Ms. Dye lterally gaped at it. The best drawings were going to be posted on a wall outside in The Commons. I still hadn't seen Tyler's drawing. I figured he maybe drew one of his best friends or girlfriend or a family relative. At lunch, I saw all the drawings were up, so I walked over to them, withe Sons behind me.

I saw my drawing in the middle of them all.

"Wow, you did a really awesome job," Caleb said, smiling at me."You really got every detail of us."

I blushed.

"Thanks," I said, quietly. I looked at the other drawings.

I saw a dog, a owl,a... vampire? Alright, then. A fish, Morgan Freeman... me. I looked closer. Yup, it was definately me. Unlike the others,which were black and used with pencil, this one was colored fully. It was me, with the burns on my face, but barely. You really couldn't see them but they were faint. My eyes shone out, light in them... I looked happy. I couldn't really remember the last time I looked like that. My lips were curled in a hint of a small smile, my hair flowing around my face. I looked... beautiful. I looked down at the corner and read the name: TYLER SIMMS.

I turned around. Tyler was looking at me, giving me a smile. I laughed gently. "You did that?" I asked in awe.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"So..you really didn't need help at all?"

Tyler shook his head. "Nope."

"Thank you," I said.

I wanted to hug him but I'm sure that it would be weird so I just kept smiling, then stopped. After school was over, I walked back to my aparment. I live alone, since my parents died in a car crash a while back. Mrs. Rarsa was a nice land-lady. As long as I paid the bills and rent, I was allowed to live in the apartment.

I walked in, closed the door, and collasped on top of my bed. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I was standing in a room, in what looked to be a basement with stone walls, with bookcases shoved against the walls. In the dead center laid was a circle of wood emboired with stones. Suddenly, it erupted into flames. I jumped. I turned, and saw a boy with short cropped almost shaven black hair. He looked to be around the Sons' age and height. He had dark brown eyes. He smirked at me. I stared at him, then smelled something burning. I realized it was me. I was on fire. I screamed trying to swat the flames out.

Then it all went black. I realized there was a knock on the door. I sighed to myself, smoothed back my hair, and went to open it. I looked out, no one was there. Huh. I closed the door. I began thinking. I got an idea. I grabbed my shoes, and my stupid pink sparkly jacket. Once I got outside, it was pouring rain, thundering and lightning. I was going to have to walk but I didn't care. I knew it was dangerous, but I just... I don't know.

I arrived at the house at midnight. I'm kinda amazed I didn't get struck by lightning on the way. It was a old colony house. I walked up the porch and knocked on the door.

I heard a woman's voice saying, "Who would that be? Honey, would you get that?" The door opened, and Caleb stood there.

He looked surprised. "Katia? What are doing here? Did you walk all the way up here? Come inside, quick."

Caleb stepped aside, as I walked in.

"What are you doing here, Katia? Mother, get a towel!"

"No...," I protested. If I was right about him, about all of them. He could do what I asked. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Katia?"

"Can you fix it?" I asked. "My face?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Don't lie to me. I know who you guys are!"

"And what might that be?" he asked,no expression on his face.

"You're The Covenant."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

CALEB (P.O.V)

I heard a knock on the door.

Mother said,"Who could that be? Honey, could you get that?"

I walked to the door, and opened it. To my surprise, Katia was standing there, drenched from the rain. How'd she find out where we lived?

"Katia?"I asked. "What are you doing here? Did you walk all the way up here? Come inside, quick." I stepped inside, letting her in, closing the door. I turned and faced Katia who had pushed off her hoodie.

"What are you doing here? Mother, get a towel!" I shouted as she protested.

I studied her. She was very beautiful for a freshman. Any guy would be lucky to have her. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Katia?" I prompted, waiting for an answer. Thank God the guys were upstairs. And thank God, I soundproofed those rooms. 'Cause I seriously didn't need to hear Pogue and Kate getting it on.

"Can you fix it? My face?"

Wait, what? Did I hear her correctly? I must've, because when I asked her what she meant, she replied, "Don't lie to me. I know who you guys are!"

Wait...could've she have... No. She's talking about something else. Keep a straight face, Caleb, I chided myself.

"And what might that be?" I asked, stotic.

"You're The Covenant," she said.

S***! She did.

She stared at me. I sighed, dropping my arms. Where was Mother with the dang towel?

"Can you fix my face or not?" Katia asked, staring into my eyes. I saw loss, hate, sadness, depression... hope in her eyes. Begging...pleading... I swallowed slightly, then carefully chose my words. Do what's best for her.

"No." I said, watching as her face fell. "I can't. I'm sorry, Katia."

She bit back tears, trying hard not to cry. She turned, walking towards the door. She opened the door.

"Katia... I'm sorry."

Ah, who was I kidding? I knew I could do it, so why was I lying to her? To protect her. She stepped outside.

"Don't worry. I won't tell, " she said quietly.

Wait, don't let her walk in the damn rain, you idiot! Drive her home!

"Wait!" I called out.I grabbed my jacket and the keys toTyler's van. He would kill me later for taking it out without his permission, but I didn't care.

I drove her home in silence, then I walked her inside to her apartment. I kind of expected her parents to come rushing out demanding where'd she been, but they never did. She must've snuck out really quietly. Even I couldn't do that unless I Used.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked, watching her. She nodded, smiling weakly. Without thinking, I pulled her into a quick hug. She broke down, sobbing. Man, I felt bad now. I patted her back, saying nothing. This really meant a lot to her. Well, duh. She pulled away, sniffling, walking inside, then closing the door quietly. I stared at the door before walking downstairs, getting back into the car, and driving to the house. How did Katia know? None of us Used in front of her. We were careful. And with Tyler Ascending in a few weeks... we couldn't risk that. I thought back to my Ascension. That night I thought I would lose Sarah... When my Father willed his Power over to me... That burst of unimaginable pain and energy I felt... I couldn't imagine what Tyler would feel like when he Ascended. We would help him through it... Just like we did for Pogue and Reid.

I headed upstairs to my room. My girlfriend, Sarah was already there. She was the only other person to know about The Covenant. I had decided to tell her the truth after a Creation(spider) spell had been Used. Pogue had been deciding on telling Kate about us, after the Creation spell placed on her had been removed... I still didn't know if he told her yet. I crawled into bed silently, kissed her forehead, and fell asleep. In what seems like minutes, I woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up in bed. Someone was Using and big time.

I stormed out to the hallway, and was about pound on Reid's door, when he yanked it open.

"It wasn't me. I felt it too," he said. I heard two other doors open, and saw Pogue and Tyler stepping out. I saw Kate, Pogue's fianceé looking over Pogue's shoulder. She was a pretty African-American girl, with shoulder-lengthed dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Pogue told her to go back to sleep. If it wasn't them...

We all exchanged looks and came to the same conclusion: We were going back to Ipswich.

I hugged and kissed Sarah, my beautiful green-eyed, blond haired angel goodbye. I told her she and Mother should stay here just in case we had to come back. I watched as Pogue kissed Kate, and held her for a really long time. Meanwhile, Tyler and Reid were standing by the wall, awkwardly. We got into Tyler's Black Hummer H2 after saying our goodbyes. I put the van into drive.

Pogue said,after a moment of silence:" I told Kate about us...The Covenant."

"And, how'd she take it?" I asked. Each other member held thier breaths as they waited for the response.

"Suprisingly, pretty well,"Pogue replied. "She said that she'd wished I had told her eariler, after the Creation incident. She kept wondering how the spider bites were magically there one day, then gone the next. So I told her."

I headed down a familiar street, then stopped in a familiar place. We got out and walked towards the aparment. We'd seen where Katia had lived after we followed her home to make sure no one beat her up along the way. I hesitated and knocked on the door.

KATIA (P.o.V)

I heard a knock on my door. I placed the bookmark on pg. 30 of Dark Visions:Book 1, The Strange Power (by: L.J. Smith). Very fitting, yes? I got up and walked to the door. I opened it to find Reid, Tyler, Pogue, and Caleb standing there. I listened as Caleb explained that they were leaving for a bit and wouldn't be back for a while. I don't know why, but I started crying again. Maybe because they were leaving and I would be on my own. Left to fend for my self.

"So... do you understand?" Caleb was saying.

Right. Covenant business, maybe. But I didn't dare say that aloud. The others didn't need to know I knew. I nodded, tears spilling out quickly.

"Hey, we'll be back, Katia. Don't worry," Caleb told me, pulling me into a hug. "We'll be back."

I pulled away, then hugged Pogue, Reid, then Tyler. Tyler and Reid both held me a bit second longer than the others. I pulled away again. I wiped my tears.

"I'll miss you guys," I said.

"We'll miss you too," Reid replied.

Caleb gave me a number. "Call us if you have any problems or if you just wanna talk," he said.

I took the paper. Then they pulled me into a group hug. I waved goodbye, then I retreated back into my room, flopped on my bed and cried all night.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

REID (P.o.V.)

I sat in the van, watching life pass by. I wondered how she was doing. I felt bad for just leaving her like that but Covenant business was Covenant business. I drove us to Caleb's first colony house. As soon as we got out of the van, a gunshot rang out.

"Gorman! It's just us!" Caleb shouted.

I smiled to myself. Crazy old caretaker Gorman. He was guarding the house because of... well, he used to take care of William Danvers the Third (Caleb's father) before William went and Willed his Power to Caleb during his Ascension. Caleb's father looked like he was 300 years old but in reality he was only 44. That's the price of Using your Power. It's addictive and hard to control. It weakens you and you age each time you Use, then you die. Which is kinda stupid, since I love The Power. Caleb said that I'm reckless and irresponsible. But I don't care. What's the point of having Powers if you can't use them? That's why after Ascension, the others don't Use that much anymore. I try not to Use that much but...

We headed to the basement. We sat on the 5 square stones that were placed in a circle, with our names carved into them. Caleb looked at a bookcase. As if someone was pulling it out, a Book moved towards us, floating in the air, then hovered over the altar that was in the middle. The altar erupted into a ring of flames and the book dropped onto the altar. Ugh. Caleb was Using Pyrokinesis (the ablilty to set the ring of fire), and Telekiesis (the ablilty to move an object or levitate things). The Book of Damnation began to move, flipping open, the pages turning on its own. Caleb scanned the pages then apparently finding nothing, the Book slammed shut.

"Last night we all felt something-or someone Use," Caleb spoke, glancing at each one of us.

"What do you think? Could it be Ch-," I started.

"He's dead," he hissed harshly. "But whatever or whoever it was, it Used a lot of strength."

"So, what are you saying Caleb?" Pogue asked.

I watched Caleb's face. "I don't know," he admitted.

We sat in silence. I looked over at Tyler. He was being quiet.

"Mother told me a couple of months ago... after Reid's Ascension, about something called The Curse of Ipswich from the Chronicles of Paganism. That we should keep an ear out for it. She didn't say more about it. So..." he trailed off.

Suddenly, someone's cell phone rang. I looked around at each person, then realized it was mine.

"Hello?"

"Reid?Can I talk to Tyler?" Katia's voice said from the phone. It was nice hearing her voice.

"Um...sure. Hold on," I said. I handed the phone to Tyler.

"Hello? Hey, Katia..."Tyler said. He paused, glancing over to me for a split second, meeting my eyes, then looked away.

"What? Ok... No, no. I understand. I'm fine with that. As long as you're happy, Katia... I don't care. Alright. Bye. Here's Reid, " Tyler said, handing my phone to me.

"Reid? Are you alone?" Katia asked, as I got up, jogging up the stone steps.

"REID! Don't do anything stupid!" Caleb shouted behind me.

I rolled my eyes. I remembered that last time he said that, it was to Pogue. Then...Pogue got into a motorcycle crash, then slipped into a coma. Just listen to Caleb, you dumb****.

"Hey, Katia. What're you doing?" I asked, as Gorman gave me a suspicious look. I stared back until he looked away.

Suddenly, Katia yelped, then laughed. "Hey, Rudy-fuhludy. How ya doing, old buddy? Yes..uh-huh... Oh, uh...Rudy's my cat, by the way. Say hi to Reid, Rudy."

A weird loud purr filled my ear. "Hi, Rudy,"I spoke into the phone.

I heard Katia laughing.

" . Go away... Sorry about that," she said.

"How's...um, everything?" God, I kinda sucked at conversation with her on the phone. I needed to see her in person.

"It's... good." She was lying. Something was bothering her.

"Is something bothering you, Katia?" I asked.

There was a long pause before she spoke. "I haven't slept in 3 days..."

"What? Why? Katia!" I started.

"I keep having weird dreams about you, Reid,"she said quietly. I didn't know what to say.

"About me?"

"Yeah. We're at a barn. Just... facing each other. That's it. Besides the thundering and lightning outside."

I heard footsteps and saw the others heading outside.

It killed me to say it, but I said:" Um, Katia? I 'll have to call you back. I'm sorry."

She was silent for a minute before saying, "No... that's all right. I have a test I need to study for anyhoo, so. I'll call YOU later, Reid. Alright?"

"Ok. Bye." I snapped the phone closed after hearing her response then ran outside to join the others.

KATIA (P.o.V)

I called the third number on the paper Caleb had given me.

"Hello?" It was nice hearing Reid's voice, but I had talk to Tyler first.

"Reid? Can I talk to Tyler?"

"Um...sure. Hold on." I heard shuffling, then a voice came on.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Tyler," I said.

"Hey,Katia!" he exclaimed, I heard the excitement in his voice. How to break it to him, gently. Break it to him gently Katia. Ah, who the heck was I kidding?

"Um, listen...I need to tell you something..."- I took a deep breath-" I...uh, like Reid." I winced, then started blabbering. "And I know you like me too...and-and if you hate me...I understand...and-"

Silence. I waited. When he spoke, I could hear the pain and bitterness in his voice.

"No,no. I understand. I'm fine with that. As long as you're happy, Katia. I don't care."

Why'd I have to a b**** to him? Ugh.

"I'm really sorry, Tyler."

I've never dealt with this type of thing... having two boys like me at the same time... Heck, I've never been kissed by a boy before in my life. That showed you how much my life sucked. I started to say something, when Reid's voice came back on.

"Reid...Are you alone?" I asked. I hear the sound of footsteps. In the background, I heard Caleb shout: " Reid! Don't do anything stupid!" Which made me wonder what he did.

"Hey,Katia. What're you doing?" I sighed, throwing an arm over my face. Something jumped on the bed. I yelped before realizing it was Rudy, my tabby cat. I stratched his ears. He purred that broken purr of his I loved so much.

"Say hi to Reid, Rudy," I said, after explaining to him that Rudy was my cat. Reid said hi. I laughed.

"How's...um, everything?" Reid asked. My smile faded as I recalled the events eariler. I pushed it back into my mind.

"It's..." I hesitated. "Good."

I hope he couldn't tell I was lying. Apparently, he must've because he asked what was bothering me. Again... I hesitated.

I told him I haven't slept in days, which was true because- "I keep having dreams about you, Reid," I answered. Every night I closed my eyes... There was me and Reid... in a brightly lit old colony wood barn, rain pouring through the small cracks in the ceiling. It was night outside...thundering and lightning...

Reid listened for a minute, then spoke: "Um,Katia?I'll have you call you back. I'm sorry."

My throat constricted. "No... that's all alright. I have a test I need to study for anyhoo,so...I'll call YOU later, Reid."

"Ok. Bye."

"Bye," I whispered. I pressed END, then let the phone collaspe on the bed.

I groaned loudly. I threw my arms up in the air, then got to my feet. I headed to the bathroom, turning the water to the tub on. I needed sleep. Maybe the bath would help me. I stepped inside the tub,not caring that I was still in my black T-shirt and jeans, laying down, my head resting against the edge. I stared up at the ceiling. The water felt so relaxing... It was up to my neck now... Just let it run for a second more... I was so tired... Just close your eyes for a second... Just one...second. I closed my eyes...

I went under.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

REID (P.o.V.)

Katia hasn't called.

Sure, I mean, it's only been a few hours since her last call, but I can't shake this feeling that something was wrong. Tyler hasn't talked to me at all. I don't really blame him. After all I did kind of steal his girl. Even though she was a freshman and we were col-high school seniors.

Caleb and the others must've been thinking the same thing because he said: "Go. Check on her. We'll get back in my car."

I got into Tyler's van after ignoring Tyler's protests-("Sorry, Baby-Boy. Don't get your panties in a wad. I'll bring it back.")- and pedaled it to the max. It took me a few hours to get from Ispwich to Chillicothe, Ohio. I reached her apartment complex, raced upstairs, and pounded on her door.

"Katia?"

No answer. I pounded some more.

"Katia! Open up! KATIA! Open! The! Damn! Door!" I roared.

Nothing. Something was definitly wrong.

I tried opening the door. Locked. Tried again. Jiggling it, pounding on the door again with my palm. Screw this. Caleb could kill me later. I closed my eyes, concentrating, feeling it inside me. God, it felt good. Why'd I ever stop Using? The door blasted inwards, ripping off the hinges, slamming in a wall. She's not in the living room... not in her bedroom... I stepped out into the hall, sighing. Something brushed against my leg. I looked down to see a tabby cat, purring a broken purr. This must be Rudy, her cat. I knelt down, stratching his ears.

"Hey, Rudy. Do you know where Katia is?"

Then I noticed the flood of water trickling down the wood floor. I saw a door opened at the end of the hallway, light shining out. I dashed into the bathroom. I noticed, as I neared closer, the bathtub was overflowing, water spilling over the sides. Then I saw her. Without hesitating, I pulled her out, laid her on the wet marble floor, and began pumping her chest, blowing air into her lungs.

"Come on! Come on, Katia!" I said, fiercily.

Goddammit, don't you leave me! Don't you dare! You can come back! You can do it! I thought.

I blew air into her lungs again. God knows how long she'd been under. I sat up, seething. I felt the Power inside me, raised my hands together creating a fireball, then I slammed it into her body. She jolted, light pulsing through her, before it faded. She choked, rolling over, coughing up water. What the he** did I just do? I never done anything like that before. I watched as Katia got the water out of her system, then rolled back over, onto her back, sighing a little, then her eyes fluttered closed. Well, at least she wasn't naked, which was kind of a shame. I picked her up, carried her to her bed, then I went and turned the water off, and drained it from the tub, and Used to evaporate the water from the floor. I pulled out a chair next to her bed, and waited for Katia to wake up.

I stared at the floor. It was either that or my feet. I heard a soft groan. I bolted to my feet, leaning over Katia's stirring form. Her eyes blinked a couple of times.

"Katia?" I asked gently.

"God?" she whispered. I chucled weakly.

"No, it's Santa Claus. It's me. Reid, remember? Reid Garwin."

She blinked more. "Oh, it's you."

I leaned back into the chair, running my hands through my blond hair, inhaling deeply.

Then I exploded. "Katia! What were you thinking?! Were you trying to kill yourself?! Are you that stupid?!"

She looked at me, tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry, Reid. I just needed sleep."

"And you thought drowning yourself would help?!" I scoffed, glaring at her.

"I thought it would help me relax. I didn't mean to fall asleep..." I sighed again. I looked at her.

She looked sad, small and fragile.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you Katia. I just... Don't kill yourself. Please. Ever, ok? You're gonna live until you're 100 and that's final. You're gonna get married, and have kids..." I trailed off.

Silence. I watched as she stared up at the ceiling. "It's just... I love you, Katia, ok? When I see you, I want to hold you and protect you... I want to love you every day. When I'm not with you, I feel like... dying. You're beautiful, and I can't help but notice that every time I see you. I don't care that you wear hearing aids or you wear glasses or if you're burned. I love you for you being yourself. I love you."

That was the first speech I ever said to a girl I actually liked back. All those other girls I've been with...

There was no other girl compared to her. I, Reid Garwin, was in love with Katia Jiners.

I glanced over at her. She was still staring at the ceiling.

Then she spoke. "You wanna know how I got burned?" she asked. But it wasn't a question. It was a statement. I knew she was going to tell me her story.

"I was invited to my first party... My mom was so excited. I didn't want to go at first, but then I figured: 'Why the he** not? It's just a party. Nothing bad's gonna happen'. I got a dress, high heels... It was fun at first. Truth or Dare... movies...dancing... games... food. This guy asked me to dance, and again, I figured, 'Why the he** not? He's just a guy'. We danced... then he took me upstairs so we could dance longer because it was loud downstairs..."

I watched her. Without thinking, I got up and laid next to her, our bodies just barely touching. I could smell honey and lavender wafting from her...her scent. I kept watching her face, as she continued to speak, eyes still on the ceiling.

I noticed she was crying, tears slipping out.

"We started slow-dancing, then we were kissing... I told him to get off of me...He wouldn't listen... He wouldn't listen..."

Bile rose in my throat. I wanted to kill this guy who had done this to her. Rip him apart slowly, then feed him alive to the wolves.

"Then-then it was over, and- and- he looked at me and smiled. Just smiled, like he was happy he raped me. He said that no one was gonna want me after this... He took out a wine bottle, and poured it all over my face... then the lighter...And.. he burned me."

"Katia... who did this to you?" We were looking at each other now.

"It- it- doesn't m-matter. Karma's gonna get to him sooner or later."

"Katia," I said firmly, looking into her eyes, placing my hands on her cheeks forcing her to keep looking at me.

"Who. Did. This. To. You? Tell me." Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

"J...Jakson. It was Jakson," she whispered. That b-d. I would kill him later. I wiped Katia's tears away from her temples with my thumbs, kissed her forehead as gently as I could, pulling her close to me.

She whispered, just barely audible: " I love you, Reid." Her arms wrapped around me, her head lying on my chest, as she sobbed quietly.

I held her all night.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

TYLER (P.o.V)

I stared at the clock, waiting for homeroom to end, my foot tapping impatiently under the desk. I glanced back at Katia and Reid's empty desk. I wondered where they were. It wasn't like Katia to miss school. I mean, Reid, yeah but not Katia. I exchanged glances with Caleb and Pogue. Last night someone was Using. A lot. I figured it was Reid. We got back in Caleb's car around midnight. I was tired as h***. Finally, the bell rang, and I bolted from my seat and out the hallway.

Caleb and Pogue were right behind me. Where was Reid? Sure, he was a bastard but still...Was Katia alright? I thought back to the phone call. I was so lost in thought that I didn't see the girl walking in front of me until it was too late, sending her to the floor, scattering papers everywhere. People moved around us, not bothering to help. Caleb, Pogue and I helped collect her papers. As we stood, I handed her papers back. She took them, then held her hand out.

"Can I have my bag back please?"

I finally looked at her. She had dark blue electric eyes rimmed with lots of eyeliner, with long black hair and bright red highlights. She wore all black, a black punk t-shirt and black jeans. She had silver and black bracelets running up one arm.

She raised an eyebrow. "Can I have my bag back or not, dude?"

Caleb quickly smacked the back of my head, snapping me back to reality. Usually he only does that with Reid... Just give her her bag back you moron. I held her bag out and she snatched it.

She brushed past me, muttering,"Now I'm late thanks to that jerk..."

I stared after her vanishing figure, then turned around. Caleb and Pogue had smiles on thier faces.

"What?"I asked.

Pogue spoke up. "Looks like our Baby-Boy's growing up."

"You were literally staring at that girl for 3 minutes. Now we're late,"Caleb explained.

We high-tailed it to our classes making up excuses.

Class ended, then art came. I walked to Art, and as I sat into my seat, I noticed the girl I bumped into eariler was standing in front of the room. The bell rang, and Mrs. Dye took attendence.

"Class, this is our newest student from New York. Please make her feel welcome here."

Mrs. Dye walked over to me, saying,"Tyler, would you mind if Samantha sat with you? I know Katia's your partner but...um..."

"Sure." Samantha took the seat next to me, avoiding eye contact with me.

Then she turned to me,"Let's just get this straight. My name's Sami, not Samantha. And I swear to God, if you call me Samantha, I will punch your face so hard, you'll be crying for your daddy."

"Don't have to. He's dead," I told her.

She paled, then cursed. "I didn't-"

"Don't worry about it," I said.

"Okay, today you're gonna draw people. And no, I get to pick your partners. It's the person right next to you. All the drawings must be shown to me at the end of class."

I heard moans and groans and shuffling. I reached in my bag and pulled out my sketchbook. I was about to rip out a piece of paper when I saw she had her own.

"So...who's gonna start?" she asked.

"Ladies first?" I said stupidly.

"Such a gentleman,"she said with sarcasm.

"Go to the wall, and lean against it,"she ordered.

Okayyy. I shrugged, getting up, leaning against the wall, looking down at the floor, my thumbs hooked in my pockets. She placed her stool in front of me, watching me for a minute. Her eyes wandered over my green jacket, my gray hoodie, my ripped dark blue jeans.

She picked up the pencil. "Tilt your head up and look like you're dark and gloomy."

"Dark and gloomy? Who are you, Voldemort? No one does that anymore," I told her.

"Shut up,"she retorted.

I tried my best to look dark and gloomy, looking at her. She began to draw; I shifted a little, then resumed my position. Within 30 minutes or so, she was done. I walked around her, peering over her shoulder. She was good as me. She captured me perfectly. It was like looking at a black and white photo of me.

"You're really talented,"I told her. She blushed a little.

"Thanks,"she mumbled.

"My turn," I said, grabbing her place, sketchbook in my lap. She looked uncomfortable, her fingers twirling around. I got an idea.

"Put on your headphones and draw," I said.

She stared at me, then put her bright red headphones on, sketchbook on her desk, pencil in hand. She had it exactly where I wanted her to be. I began to sketch a line.

"So... what are your favorite bands, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked, trying to make an attempt to make this less awkward. The room was silent. No one was talking because they were drawing. She was silent.

For a second I though she hadn't heard me and was actually listening to her music.

Then she spoke. "Black Veil Brides, Blood on The Dance Floor, Asking Alexandria, Suicide Silence, and Capture The 's yours?"

Wow, those were hard core rock bands. I've only heard of Black Veil Brides. I only liked the softer rock.

"Linkin Park, Shinedown, Imagine Dragons, and Evanescence," I replied.

She continued to draw at the same time I did. I was drawing her face now. I drew her lips, her nose, her eyes...

"Imagine Dragons...they were the guys with that one song, right? Radioactive?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

She smiled a quick smile, but I caught it in my mind. I erased the previous lips I had drew, then put in her smile. I moved on to her clothes, shading along the way. I darkened her clothes, shaded over her pale skin complexion, her eyeliner, her sketchbook, then her headphones. And with 50 minutes to spare, I was finished. I showed it to her. She stared at herself for a really long time.

"Wow. No one has really drawn me that way before. Great job, Tyler." She smiled weakly, like she'd forgotton how to smile.

We got up and showed our drawings to Mrs. Dye, who literally took pictures of them with her cellphone, right in front of us.

"100% both of ya. Keep 'em. Oh, and if ya see Katia, tell her she's excused from the assignment, seeing that I gave her 120% on her group drawing of you and your friends," Mrs. Dye said.

"Ok," I replied as we both turned and sat in our seats. I scrawled my name at the bottom right corner like I always do: TYLER SIMMS. I carefully ripped it out, then handed her the drawing.

"Keep it. It's yours. A first day of school present." She hesitated before taking it, murmuring thanks. She gave me her drawing. I accepted it, smiling at her. I couldn't help it. There was something about her... The bell rang. She got up, collecting her stuff, walking out of the room. I shoved my sketchbook in my bag.

I raced after her, brushing past people.

"Hey, Saman-Sami, wait up! Sami!" I finally reached her, forcing her to stop.

"What do you want, Tyler? I'm going to be late," she said, looking over my shoulder.

"Do you want to go out with me?" I blurted out, before I could stop the words coming from my mouth. Whoa. That definitely wasn't the plan. Ah, what the h***.

She thought for a long time.

"Pick me up at 8?" Sami finally asked.

I nodded. She pulled out a pen, then scrawled her number and address on my palm, then dashed to class. I watched her, before realizing I was going to be late too. I ran all the way to Chemistry.

Mr. Newton asked me why I was late; I said," I was busy making chemisty of my own."

I realized how stupid I sounded but I didn't care. I took my seat, and drew Sami all class long. I went to lunch, greeted Caleb and Pogue. I didn't see Sami anywhere.

I punched in her address and phone number in my phone.

I texted her: Where r u?

She replied back: In class. I'm a sophomore, btw.

I answered: Don't care. Learn something :)

Sami: Ha-ha very funny tyler c u 2nite :)

Me: Bye.

Sami: Bye... stalker lol xD.

I shoved my phone in my pocket. Caleb and Pogue were exchanging glances and smiles.

"Tyler's got a date!" They exclaimed then high- fived each other.

"You didn't have anything to do with this right?" I asked, glaring at them.

"No. But we figured it would happen sooner or later. From the way you was looking at her, you would've thought you guys were already together!" Pogue said.

"We might have a problem," I cut in. "She's a sophomore. Her parents might not agree with the fact I'm a senior."

"So? Just tell her parents that you like her and you won't try anything."

"Exactly," Caleb spoke up. "Assuming if she has any parents."

I stopped, then looked at Caleb. "What the h*** is that suppose to mean?"

"Katia doesn't have any parents. Didn't Reid tell you?"

"No. He didn't. How?" I asked, making a mental note to punch Reid next time I saw him.

"Car crash. Drunk truck driver, they say. They never found him and- F***!" Caleb yelled.

He clutched his head. Pretty soon, we were all clutching our heads. Someone was Using, a lot. And it wasn't Reid. Sitting there right next to Caleb, was the man himself. Chase Collins.

"Hello, Caleb. Pogue. Baby-Boy," he sneered.

"Chase. What're you-" Caleb started, but Chase grabbed him by the throat.

"Golden Boy. Didn't anyone tell you you talk too much?" He slammed Caleb's head to the table, knocking him,unconcious.

"Caleb!" Pogue shouted.

"Sit. Down." Chase ordered. Some invisable force was making Pogue sit down even though he was resisting.

Chase turned to me. "You. Oh, don't worry. You're asleep. Besides... I'm dead remember? This is only your imagination, Tyler."

"You-"

Someone was shaking me repeatly. I bolted up. Caleb and Pogue were staring at me.

"You okay?" I rubbed my eyes.

"Sorry. Bad dream. I didn't get much sleep last night. I dreamt Chase was back."

Caleb and Pogue nodded, understanding. Ever since Caleb's fight with Chase at his Ascension, we've been worried that he would come back, this time succeeding to destroy The Covenant once and for all. And he hasn't. Chase Collins was dead. He was dead.

And that was final.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

KATIA (P.O.V )

I woke up in Reid's arms.

For a minute, I wondered how we got like this, when I remembered. He stirred. opening his eyes, seeing me. I smiled. He smiled back pushing his bond hair out of the way. We sat up. Reid got to his feet, taking out his cellphone, placing it on the table. I glanced at him.

He looked like to be in deep thought. "Katia...I'm sorry we had to leave. It was...um..."

"Because of Chase, right?"

He whirled around. "How do you-"

"I saw the movie. I know you're the Covenant." I told him.

He narrowed his eyes. "What movie?"

I reached under the bed, sifting through the DVD's until I found it. I showed it to him.

He pushed a hand through his messy hair. "Oh, that movie. I've forgotten about that. Can't believe we actually agreed to that. We had to get Sebastian Stan to play Chase. He did a great job. We actually believed he was Chase 'cause he looked and acted like him. A lot."

"Look.. you can't tell anybody else about us. Okay?" he said softly.

I nodded. "Who am I gonna tell anyway? No one will believe me. Except for you guys."

He looked at me, then sat in front of me, taking my hands in his. Then he kissed me gently, placing a hand on my face. The right side. I could feel something happening, like this breeze hitting my skin. He pulled away, our foreheads touching, his thumbs touching my skin-Skin?

I reached up and touched my right side. It was smooth, and soft. "Turn it back..."I whispered.

Our eyes met, and I saw his iris's go black. They were nothing but two black orbs looking at me. I felt another breeze against my face then felt the emptiness again. His eyes receded back to his blue color. He gave this sort of sad look, then sighed. I knew he was trying to help, to give me the thing I desperately wanted, but I've gotten used to this other side of me. And it would be selfish to take it. I couldn't let him age. It would be wrong. I put my arms around him. For a few minutes, we held each other until... Rudy came and interrupted us. We laughed then both scratched his ears. I got up and opened the window, to let him out. He purred that broken purr. I turned and saw Reid standing behind me.

"Katia..."he began.

I put my hands on my hips. "Caleb said you're a womanizer."

He looked at me. "He said that?"

I nodded. He gave a little chuckle and a scoff. He ran his hands through his hair, ripping off the black beanie on his head.

Did I make him mad?

"Yes. I flirted with a lot of girls. But to be honest, I didn't give a s*** about any of them until I met you. You're different from all of them..." he spoke stepping closer. He was right in front of me. I looked into his eyes, waiting for his pupils to dilate, or wander away to the right but he never did. He was telling the truth.

"I didn't care about anybody, except for you. I couldn't sleep after I met you. When you were talking about your life...I felt like I could relate to what you were talkin' about. I love you Katia." He got down on one knee.

"Uh...Reid? You do know I'm 15, right?"

"Don't care," he replied, taking one of my hands in his. "Katia Jiners... Will you-"

"-do me the honor of going to Prom with me?"

Wait, what? He's not proposing? Thank God. Prom...hmm.

"For a second, I thought you were proposing to me, Reid Garwin." I said finally. He cracked a smile.

"Yes. I'll go to Prom with you."

He stood up and kissed me. I kissed him back. He pulled away.

"You don't have a dress, do you?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Ok. Can't believe I'm gonna do this, but I'll see you tomorrow. Stop by earlier at 7 and get ready at our place. Pretend we're getting married. Sarah and Kate will help you with your dress. If they don't, I will tell Caleb and Pogue they're pregnant."

I was bewildered. "They're pregnant?"

"No. But it's better than nothing," he said, grinning. I laughed.

"Ok,deal. I'll see you tomorrow." We kissed, then he left. Immediately, when the door closed behind him, I dashed to my laptop and began to search for a dress.

After hours of searching for a dress, I couldn't find one I like so, I gave up. I flopped onto my bed and fell asleep. I was in the brightly lit barn again. It was thundering and lightning outside, the sky black as night, water pouring through the small cracks in the ceiling. I was alone. I looked down at myself. I could feel myself wearing a dress but I couldn't see it. It was blurred. I heard the chatter of voices around me, blurring together, like people talking, but there was no one there but me.

"Tyler's Ascension at 12..."

"Will he accept It?"

"The Power is too great..."

"Ascension..."

"Say it! Say the words, Caleb! I-"

"I..."

"Will-"

"Will..."

"You-"

"You...nothing."

Fight it...Don't give in... Tyler...We're all here for you... Brothers 'til all Hell takes over...


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

TYLER (P.O.V )

I was nervous. I shook my hands on the steering wheel staring at Sami's house, through the rain-splattered windshield. I sighed to myself. Why it have to rain tonight? I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 7:59. I got out then jogged to her front door. I double-checked her address. Yup. Right one. I waited, then knocked on her door. The door opened. A bald man stood there.

"You Tyler?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"Come on in," he said.

I stepped in.

"SAMI! TYLER'S HERE! She'll be down in just a second."

We stood there in silence.

"You...uh...play football?"

"I take swimming," I replied.

"Junior?"

"Senior, sir."

"17?"he asked.

"Yes sir." He looked at me.

"You bring my daughter home safe now, you hear me? Anything that you try, I'll do to you. And I think you know what that means..."

I swallowed. "Yes sir."

"Dad! You're kidding, right? Ugh. Hi, Tyler," Sami said, standing at the foot of the stairs.

She was wearing a slightly ripped tank-top, dark jeans, combat boots, her usual amount of eyeliner and her bracelets. She looked amazing. I smiled at her. It thundered.

"Dang it. It's raining?! Dad! You could've told me!" she protested.

"Ah, it's fine." I spoke up. "It's perfect."

She looked down at herself, then shrugged.

"Ok, let's go. Dad, I'll be home at 11-" "10," he interjected.

"Fine, 10. See ya, Dad," she said as they embraced, then pulled away. We stepped outside, then ran to the van.

I drove to Nelly's, the local diner (no such place people). We got inside, shaking the rain off of us. A waitress, Kelley, sat us down. We both ordered water, then Sami ordered a salad with ranch dressing, and I ordered a chicken. Once our food came, I saw her looking at it, like she was regretting the salad. So, I cut it up and gave half of it to her. She devoured it, but I didn't care. I liked girls who loved to eat. She cleared her throat, awkwardly. I ordered some apple pie. I shared it with her as we started talking about our likes and dislikes, our favorite movies, music etc. We both had a lot in common. I was really surprised about her. She told me that she often portrayed herself as a rude girl so no one would think she was easy. She told me stories about her drawings and her inspirations for them. I listened word for word.

"So what are your favorite things to do?" she asked, taking a bite.

"Draw, read a little, write, draw..." I said.

"Are you blushing, Tyler Simms?" she asked, raising her eyes in disbelief.

"Maybe," I admitted. She laughed. I liked it. Then I remembered the Prom posters I've seen around the school.

"Hey, Sami...do you um, uh... Doyouwantogotopromwithme?"

"Um, what? Sorry, I didn't catch that."

I sighed again, mentally cursing myself. "Do. you. want. to. go. to. prom? With me?"

She stared at me for a really long time. Then she smiled and grinned.

"I would love to."

I glanced at the clock; 9:49.

"Ugh, only a few more hours then, I'll be 18."

"It's your birthday?" she asked.

"Tomorrow," I corrected her. "I'll be 18."

"That's great!" she exclaimed.

I stood up. "We might want to be heading back now."

She looked confused, until she saw the clock. "Oh,yeah."

I paid the bill, then we headed out to the car. I put the key in the ignition, and turned it. The car wouldn't start.

I cursed. "You're kidding me right?"

"Well, we could always run." I looked at her. She was smiling.

"I don't mind," she told me.

I thought and grinned. Ah, what the heck.

"Let's do it."

I made a mental note to call Reid later. We got out, then I walked over to her side.

"Want to race?" I asked, rain dripping from my hair. She smiled.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!" we both shouted at the same time. And we were off.

We were laughing. I looked back at her, then I saw her fall. I helped her up. I picked her up, seeing her knees were bleeding, not very heavily (they were scraped) but still bleeding. She tried to protest, but I ignored them. Her dad could kill me later. I started to walk slowly, her arms around my neck.

"Well..."she said. "Well, this is romantic."

I looked down at her. She smiled back up at me.

"You know, you're carrying me, and it's raining, then the next thing you know, we'll be kissing."

I laughed, then adjusted her in my arms. I was going to kiss her; I was just waiting for the right time. We finally reached her house. I set her down, her arms still around my neck. We looked at each other. God, she was so beautiful with rain pouring down on her. Apparently that eyeliner must've been waterproof because it stayed where it was, not smearing. She smiled weakly, a wet hair strand falling in her face. I reached out, and tucked it behind her ear. Our lips met. I didn't shove my tongue in her mouth or try to grope her in anyway. My number one rule: always respect the woman no matter what, unlike Reid. I pulled away. She was smiling.

The door swung open.

"You're late," he said.

"Daddy, it wasn't his fault. The car broke down and we ran. I fell and scraped my knees but Tyler here was kind enough to carry me here. So don't blame this on him. Happy early birthday Tyler," she said, kissing my cheek, somehow managing to storm up the stairs.

Her dad gave me a look, then slammed the door in my face.

"Nice meeting you," I say. I turn and walk back to the van. I lift up the hood. I called Reid, and told him the car wouldn't start. Within minutes, the engine flared to life.

"Thanks, dude." I shut the hood, climbed into the car, and drove to the house.

Caleb, Reid, and Pogue were waiting for me.

"So how'd your date go?"

I closed the door, walking past them, taking off my jacket.

"It went great at first. I asked her to prom. The car broke down and we ran all the way out in the rain. Then she fell and scraped her knees and I carried her home and I kissed her."

I turned around, crossing my arms. "What, you guys have a problem with that?"

They shook their heads. Reid leaned against the banister. There was something he wasn't telling us But I didn't ask him about it. I headed up to my room. I flopped on my bed, and threw my arms over my face. I closed my eyes and chuckled to myself. I couldn't wait to see Sami again, at prom tomorrow. I wondered what she would be wearing... I fell asleep.

Someone was screaming, a little girl. I could hear her screaming my name begging for me to help, to save her. The problem was I couldn't find her. I was trapped in a dark room. Then flashes of images.

A fire...

Katia...the first day we saw her...

Sarah in a white long silk dress...

Kate being covered in spiders...

Pogue crashing his motorcycle...

Caleb in a black tux hands clenched out in front of him, a fireball ready to launch, rain drenching his clothes...

Reid, wearing his long-sleeved black t-shirt challenging Caleb...

Sami, standing in front of me, wearing her date clothes...She reaches out to touch my cheek, but then an invisible force yanks her backward, and she disappears...

The room disappears, I'm on a cliff, with Pogue, and Caleb.

We're waiting for Reid. Finally he shows up. I asked him where he was, he said that he had things to do. He asked how the party was, Pogue replied that he just got here. Reid jumped off the cliff, and I followed suit.

Fast forward Caleb meeting Sarah, Reid saying "Dreamcatcher was the s***!", the bar fight between Reid and Caleb...

Caleb at the old colony barn fighting Chase...

Seeing him get struck by that lighting... by The Power on his Ascension...

Chase getting blown up by the fire from the barn... I bolt up from the dream-vision- or whatever the h*** it was. I see a figure standing in front of me. I reach back to turn on the light, but by the time I look back the figure's gone. I sighed, running my hands through my hair, then turn off the light, falling asleep once more.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

REID (P.O.V )

I drummed my fingers nervously on the banister. Prom was tonight- and so was Tyler's 18th birthday at 11:15 pm.

"Guys! Get the f*** up!" I shouted. They should've been up a few minutes ago. I see them coming down the stairs.

"Jeez, Reid. Did Harry Potter come and do something to you? Talk about mood change," Tyler said.

"Harry Potter can kiss my a**," I retorted as we walked outside. I heard snickers behind me.

"Why is that so funny?" I asked, slipping in the driver's side

. "Dang it, Reid. This is my car. Stop-" Tyler mumbled.

"Shut up Baby Boy. I'm driving," I told him.

He glared at me.

"Get your own damn car," he growled. I chuckled.

It's no use. We'll b**** on and on about who drives the van. We reached the school and jumped out. Caleb and Pogue were on their phones talking to Kate and Sarah, telling them they'll see them later. I saw Tyler look down at his phone, then look sad.

"What?" I asked.

"Sami can't make it. Her dad's making her stay home."

"Well, cheer up. At least you'll see her tonight," I tell him, then he smacked the back of my head.

"Jeez," I complained rubbing my head. "What the f*** did I do now?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to hit you."

"You are so gonna wish you were dead, Tyler." I growled.

He laughed then began to run.

"Yeah, that's right Baby Boy! Run for your life!" I called after him. "I'm sexy and I know it and you can't help but marvel in my awesomeness!"

I heard giggling. I turned to see Katia standing there, a hand over her mouth. I leaned down and kissed her. We kissed each other until we were interrupted by an 'ahem'. A teacher glared at us.

"No public play of affection is allowed. No kissing. Please do that on your own time," she said.

I threw an arm around Katia.

"Jeez, PMS much?" I asked her.

Her face turned bright red. "DETENTION, MR. GARWIN!" she yelled.

"Well, you've done it now," Katia said. "I ain't bailing you out."

"C'mon," I say, lifting her chin. "Unless you'd rather join me. Live a little, Katia."

"Hmmmm. Yup. Not happening, sorry," she said.

I groaned then we walked inside. The next few hours were a blur. Kate and Sarah stopped by to pick up Katia. I, of course, had to stay behind in detention. Finally, the clock hit 3:30 and I hightailed it out of that s***hole. Tyler was waiting outside, sitting in the van, talking to Sami. He must really like that girl. I've never seen her, so I'd have to wait to see her tonight.

We arrived at the house. Kate and Sarah were helping Katia get ready for. I could never understand why it took girls 2-3 hours just to get ready. The others were on the couch. Tyler was on his phone, texting, no doubt, Sami. Caleb and Pogue were in a heated discussion about who should drive and whose car we would be taking. I sighed. Then I heard someone shout my name.

"REID! CAN YOU COME UP HERE?!" Kate and Sarah's voices called.

I headed up the stairs. Caleb's door was closed so I figured that's where they were. I started to open it, but the door immediately shut, locked.

"You're not coming in," Kate said.

"You just said-" I argued.

"We said to come up here, not come in," Sarah's voice said from the other side. "And don't you dare Use!"

I sat down, my back pressed against the door. "Well, what do you want?"

"If you had to pick, what color would make Katia's eyes pop out?"

This is why they called me up here? Great, girl stuff. Hallelujah. I sighed, then thought for a long time. Hmm... I pictured her face.

"Either smoky gray or purple," I replied back finally. I heard shuffling and clattering. What the heck were they doing in there? I pressed my ear against the wood, hearing the sound of water running then a hair-dryer running. I sighed again. 6:35. I decided to put on my black tux I'd rented from Jenny's on the last school dance I went to. Which ironically was Caleb's Ascension. I combed my hair, then went downstairs. Pogue, Tyler and Caleb were already there.

I heard footsteps. I looked up to the top of the stairs to see Kate and Sarah. Kate was wearing a dark purple dress. Sarah was wearing a white silk dress, which come to think of it was the same dress she had on the last dance at Caleb's birthday.

"May we present Miss Katia Jiners?" they said, coming down the stairs.

She stood at the top of the stairs. She was wearing a black dress that hugged her small figure, and showed what barely curves she had .(Look up elegant black ankle sheath v neck prom dress. It's the first picture you see) She walked down the stairs shyly. As she got closer I noticed she had mascara, eyeliner and smoky gray-purple eye shadow. Now I understood why. The colors made her eyes pop. Her long dark brown hair was piled up in a bun, in ringlets, large strands hiding her ears. Her dark tan skin seemed to glow. She was wearing black flats on her feet. That was good. I could never understand why girls wore high heels when it hurt their feet. She stopped in front of me. She was...

"Damn,girl," I blurted out before I could stop the words coming from my mouth, earning several smacks on the back of my head.

"God, Reid. Way to ruin the moment," Kate said.

"Wait, that came out wrong. I didn't mean to say that. What I meant to say was...You look beautiful, Katia."

She blushed. She is beautiful. For that moment, I didn't care whether she was a freshman, wore hearing aids or whatnot. All I had now with me was her.

We got into Tyler's van. Tyler was driving. Caleb, Sarah, Kate and Pogue were going in Caleb's car. We sat in the backseat. Katia made me wear my seatbelt. We reached the school. People were arriving in limos and whatnot. I helped Katia get out, then she looped an arm around mine. We walked inside to the Auditoria. Music was blaring, people were dancing, and cheering. I even thought I saw a guy pour beer in the punch. Great.

"Don't drink the punch," I told her.

People were staring at all of us, pointing and whispering.

"Who is that girl?"

"Whoa, look! New chick!"

"Holy crap! That's the deaf kid!"

I growled, but Katia stopped me.

"Don't, Reid. It's not worth it."

We found an empty table, where the others soon joined us. Tyler seemed to searching for someone.

"Where's your girl, Tyler?" Caleb asked.

Tyler shook his head. "She said she'd be here in a few minutes."

Ten minutes later, Sami still did not show up.

"She could've gotten stuck in traffic," he suggested. "I would call her but I don't have my phone. I memorized it but the numbers are mixed up. "

He sighed.

I wondered if she was blowing him off. Katia stood up.

"I'll be back guys. I have to use the restroom," she said. She looked up at me. "When I get back, we're gonna dance, whether you like it or not."

"I'll be here, waiting," I replied, giving her a quick kiss. I watched her leave then sat down again.

I turned to the stage, shaking my head in disbelief. Out of all the themes they could've chosen, why'd they have to pick Carrie? I mean, I've got nothing against her, but are they seriously expecting to go along with this? Next thing you know, when whoever is crowned Prom Queen, she'll get a bucket load of pig's blood poured on her, and then she'll go psycho, killing everybody in the school with her mind. Great theme. Really. Great theme. I waited, and waited. Katia was sure taking a long time. Maybe there was a long line. I started to get up when a phone rang. Caleb pulled out his phone and listened. He held it out to me.

"It's for you," he said. I was confused. I put it on speakerphone.

The others moved closer so we could hear it.

"Hello?"

"Reid?" It was Katia.

"Katia?"

"No!" Katia pleaded, her voice sounding panicky. " I did what you wanted! Reid!"

There was a crackle of static, then a different voice came on. I couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman.

"Meet me at Sered Barn in five minutes, or she dies."

"Listen, you b-" I started, but the phone clicked off. We looked at each other. Caleb told Kate and Sarah to stay here in case Sami showed up. We ran to the van. I slammed on the accelerator, leaving skid marks.

I remembered seeing the barn when we first drove in here. It was an old barn, but still usable. No one else used it anymore since it was practically in the middle of nowhere. Who builds a barn in the middle of the freaking outskirts? The sky was black as night. Thunder rumbled, lightning crackled, and rain started pouring down heavily. I slammed on the brakes narrowly missing the fence. We got out, leaped over the fence and dashed inside. I froze. There standing in front of us, was Katia. Next to her was a girl I didn't recognize, gripping Katia's arm. Katia was struggling but the girl tightened her hold. We stared at each other.

Finally after a long period of silence, Tyler spoke.

"Sami?"

Wait, this chick was Sami? Tyler's girl? She was smirking, her long black hair behind her shoulders. Her blue eyes wandered over us like we were nothing but a pair of bugs we wanted to smash. She was wearing a strapless short black dress that went to her knees. I noticed she was wearing combat boots out of all things.

"Hey,Tyler," Sami spat out, her lips curled into a creepy smile. "Look what I have!"

I looked over to Katia. Her bun had been ripped out, so now her hair was hanging down. She had little streaks of mascara under her eyes. I mouthed to her: It'll be okay. She just looked at me.

The girl called Sami, threw her head back and laughed. "Ain't this fun? I'm so happy! I got you all together!"

Sami jumped up and down like a little kid.

"Sami, you crazy b****. Let Katia go or I'll-" I started.

"Or you'll what?" she sneered. "Choke me to death? I'm pretty sure Tyler would kill you for that."

I glanced back at Tyler who was staring at Sami in disbelief.

"Oh, honey. Don't take it personal. It's just business. But anyway, ain't Katia pretty? All dolled up like a Barbie?" she asked, then her tongue rolled out and licked the side of Katia's face.

Katia whimpered in disgust. Sami grinned evilly.

She giggled.

"Ah, the look on your faces. Now, look," she said her voice turn harsh and serious. "All you have to do is Will me your Power...and I'll be on my merry way."

"Don't do it, Tyler!" Katia screamed.

"Don't you dare!"

"SHUT UP!" Sami yelled. She took a deep breath, looking behind me. "Please, baby? For me?"

A long silence.

"No," Tyler spoke finally.

Sami glared at us. "Well, at least, I tried," she hissed. Then her eyes turned pure black. And the façade of Sami floated away like smoke to reveal the true person hiding beneath. The Devil himself. Chase Collins.

Chase grinned at us. "Miss me?"

"Where's Sami?" Tyler growled.

Chase scoffed. "That pathetic girl? She's at home. I knocked her out. It's better than killing her, ain't it? You should be happy I spared her life."

Then he disappeared, taking Katia along with him. I heard a scream. We looked up to see Chase on the catwalk, dangling Katia over the ground, one hand on her throat. She was clawing one of his arms but he acted like nothing was happening.

"Now!" Chase yelled over the loud rumble of thunder. "We can do this the easy or hard way! Will me your Power and I'll let Katia go! If you don't then she dies!"

We looked towards Tyler. Then he clutched his head and screamed. It was starting. I started to move when I found I couldn't. I looked over and saw the others having the same thing. Only Tyler was left untouched.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. I bounded all of your Powers, except for Tyler's." Chase said, grinning.

Tyler groaned, clutching his side, rolling on the floor, screaming. Lightning flashed violently, the barn shaking.

"Oooh, witchy!" Chase called out. "Oops, did I say 'witch'?"

Black substance dribbled out of Tyler's mouth.

"Don't do it Tyler!" Katia shrieked.

"B****, shut up! I'm trying to have a conversation here!" Chase shouted, smacking her across the face. I wanted to hit him so bad. But this is Tyler's Ascension. Not mine.

"Leave. Her. Alone!" Tyler yelled, getting to his feet, ready to launch a fireball.

Chase merely waved his hand aside, and Tyler was flying across the barn. Tyler struggled, eyes black as orbs. He launched a ball of energy which Chase deflected, creating a crater in the barn floor next to me. Tyler kept launching balls of energy at Chase but Chase dodged them smoothly.

He ducked, glared at Tyler, then smoothed back his hair. "You won't be able to beat me. Without the Powers, I'm unbeatable!" he shouted, throwing an arm in the air, he launched tendrils at Tyler, which wrapped around him, lifting him off the floor. Chase pinned him against a pillar.

"You know, I've had fun this past couple of years. You all thought I was dead. I overheard you guys were coming here. So, I figured what the hell? My dear Katia, I grabbed a ride, and convinced him to crash your parents' car at the right moment. I was the one that influenced Jakson and made him rape you. I figured y'all would help a poor pathetic girl and you'd help her and feel sorry about her. And I was right."

Chase smiled wickedly. Tyler was struggling against the tendrils but it was no use. "It's just five simple words Tyler!" Chase boomed. "Will me your Power, and this'll all go away!"

Tyler grunted.

He was giving up. Tyler was giving up. Don't you do it, Baby Boy! Don't you dare! I thought.

"Hey, Chase!" I heard Katia call out.

"What?!" he snapped.

"I have five words for you..." she started. What was she doing? Her legs kicked and dangled in the air.

"Go..."

Chase ignored her.

"F***..."

His eyes narrowed but kept his eyes on Tyler. Tyler's body arched, and he screamed in agony, then a bolt of lightning pierced through the ceiling of the barn, and entered his chest. Chase cackled. More Power surged through Tyler, making him scream. Suddenly, Chase dropped Katia. NO! I tried to shout but my mouth wouldn't work. I watched as she fell... then stopped mid-air, floating, her hair moving around her like she was underwater, her arms spread out at her sides. Then she screamed as a bolt of lightning traveled from Tyler, into her chest, connecting the two.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Chase roared. "TYLER, GIVE ME YOUR FREAKIN' POWER!"

"I..."

I thought I imagined it. That whispered word.

"Will..."

That second word. I didn't understand what was happening.

"Them..."

Then I knew. It hit me. I struggled, straining to reach her, to scream her name.

KA-

"My..."

TI-

"Power."

-A!

Immediately, at once four lightning bolts sprang from her body and into our chests. We screamed, all of us screamed, except for Chase. The Power... felt good. I heard a thump, the sound of a body falling, but my eyes were fixed on Chase. He had to pay. We all started firing balls of energy at him, but he dodged, ducked, and teleported, making us miss. Caleb sliced the tendrils holding Tyler with a ball of energy. Tyler was... levitating? Cool.

Caleb stamped his foot. "For once, I wish the b- would go straight to Hell!" he shouted, frustrated his black eyes narrowing. Then he shot out a hand aiming at Chase, fire roaring from his hand.

"Holy S-!"

"Why do you always get all the cool damn stuff?" I shouted. I wanted to get to Katia, but we had to fight Chase.

"Cause I'm awesome!" Caleb shouted back.

This wasn't us talking. It was the Power... feeling good. I smiled, then was about to launch another ball of energy when I noticed Tyler still levitating.

"Baby Boy! What're waiting for?!" I yelled, ducking as a ball of energy headed straight for me.

I deflected it. He was watching intensely, as if waiting for the right moment.

"STOP FOR A MINUTE" Tyler roared. We were shocked, our balls of energy receding. Tyler never yells like that. He must be extremely pissed.

"Chase, you f****** a******! Come out and face me like a man you cheap b****! This is my Ascension! THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME!"

He directed that last line at us. I had a feeling this was going to turn out interesting. Pogue's, Caleb's and my eyes turned back to their normal color. For a minute, there was nothing. Then Chase appeared at the catwalk again, where he'd been dangling Katia. I looked over at the body lying on the ground, in the center of it all. I wanted to run to her but something was stopping me.

Chase calmly brushed the dirt from his jacket.

"Let's make a deal," Tyler spat through his teeth. "If you win, you get our Powers. And if I win, you go straight to Hell and don't ever come back."

Chase's eyes twinkled. He smiled. "Deal," he hissed,his eyes turning black.

They began to fight, launching balls of energy at each other. Tyler dropped to the floor, picking up a pitchfork, throwing it in the air. It barely missed Chase's head. Damn.

"He stole my move," Caleb muttered. Tyler kept getting pounded into the floor.

"What will it take for you to learn?!" Chase shouted, suddenly appearing next to Tyler, picking him up, throwing him into a wall.

Tyler crashed through it, landing outside. Chase disappeared. We heard him and Tyler yelling, blasts rumbling the barn. I'm surprised the police haven't come yet. Then Chase was flying through the wall, landing on the floor. He groaned. Tyler calmly walked to Chase. His black eyes stared down at him with such hatred and fury on his face. Chase struggled to his feet. He looked... old, like he'd aged 30 years.

"Go ahead," he hissed, eyes black as night. "Kill your own brother. I dare you."

"You aren't our brother," Tyler growled.

Chase growled.

Tyler raised his hands creating a HUGE ball of energy, much bigger than Caleb could do. Chase roared then lunged for Tyler. Tyler threw it at him... hitting home run. Chase screamed as the ball hit him.

"NOOOO!"

The ball engulfed him, then he exploded, into burning ashes. Tyler stood there for a minute, hands clenched at his sides. We walked towards him. He had his eyes closed. He opened them and we saw is normal light blue color. Chase was gone. He killed him. He saved us.

He saved The Covenant.

We crowded around Katia's still body. Her eyes were open, staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

"Katia..." I fall down onto my knees, brushing a large strand of hair off of her face.

I gently close her eyes, and take her body in my arms, her head pressed against my chest, tears slipping out, splashing onto her forehead. I rock her gently.

"I love you," I said into her hair; the words that she will never hear again. "I love you, Katia..."

"She was the entity mom was talking about..." Caleb's voice said distantly. "She saved us..."

("I don't know why...I don't know what is wrong...Is karma gonna get to me? I don't know what is real... Wanna feel, wanna feel like I did before...")

ONE YEAR LATER...

I walked into the Auditerioum, placing myself in a seat. Tyler, and Caleb were already there. Pogue was on his honeymoon with Kate, in New Zealand. Sarah and Sami were working at the local diner. They felt bad that they couldn't come; Caleb offered to film everything. Sami now knew everything about us, considering Chase had literally appeared to her and knocked her out. We felt like she deserved to know. Katia's friend, Bree got married to a man named James. Rebecca now worked at a texting tutor. Go figure. As for me... well, I changed my ways. I don't Use anymore. I stopped flirting with other girls, and mostly kept to myself. I didn't want to be in the real world anymore. But Tyler convinced me to come. And I'd agreed, just this once. Tonight was the local talent show at the school. Even though we graduated, we still were able to get in.

The room darkened. A male voice came from a loud speaker and announced: "Our first guest all the way from New York, will be playing Evanescence's 'Good Enough'."

The curtians opened and a girl sitting at the grand piano started playing the intro. She was really good.

"What the h..." Caleb mumbled, earning a punch from Tyler.

He glanced over at me for a second, to the camera, then back to me. What was his problem? Since I was sitting in the waaaaayy back, it was hard to see her face, but I could still hear her voice. Man, that girl could sing.

"...I can't say no to you/ And I've completely lost myself/ And I don't mind/ I can't can't say no to you/ Shouldn't have let you torture me so sweetly/ Now I can't let go of this dream/ Can't believe that I feel good enough..."

I started thinking about Katia for some reason. I remembered her smile, her eyes, her laugh, the taste of her lips...

The dance she wanted but never gotten...

"So take care of what you ask of me/ 'Cause I can't say no...," she sang, playing the final note.

She stood up and bowed to the crowd, her long dark brown hair shining under the glare of the lights. For some reason... I wanted to meet her. After all the acts were over, and the lights came back on, we headed out into the Commons. I bumped into someone.

"Sorry," we both said at the same time.

I froze. I turned to look at her.

Her dark brown eyes twinkled back at me. "Are you okay?"

I snapped back to reality.

"Yeah...I'm fine."

"Have we met before? Because I swear, you look familiar..." she spoke softly.

"Um, I attended some of your concerts...," I lied. "You're really good, by the way." "Thanks," she blushed. I held out my hand. "Reid. Reid Garwin."

She shook it, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Reid. I'm Miya."

She turned, then stopped as if remembering something important. She turned slightly, looking at me, tears forming in her eyes. She must be scared for her next performance. I stepped closer, turning her around, then with out thinking, press my lips to hers. I pulled away, then hugged her.

"You'll do fine, Miya."

We broke apart, my hands on her shoulders. She smiled weakly.

"Please call me Katia."

There are certain things in life you can't always explain. The reason why people die, or live. Those who were lost are now remembered and found. Why the bonds of love and friendship are stronger than evil. Why one of your friends would sacrifice themselves knowing that they would die. It's all part of one thing: love. Love is the greatest thing of all. Love is what keeps us together through bad and good times. Love is a part of who we are. I found my soulmate again. This proves that love DOES exist. And nothing can change that, then, now or near future. The bonds of love conquers all. Love... the greatest thing anyone could ever ask for.

This is the story of the girl who's life was forever changed by four guys she never expected to meet.

The story of the girl who thought she'd never find love.

This is her story.

This is what happened.

THE END


End file.
